In an Instant
by WhatchuKnowBoutMe
Summary: Everything can change in an instant. A life can change its course with little more than a glance, a few words, or even the twitch of a finger on the trigger. Most people only ever seem to have one life changing event. Sakura has had three. Every single one had something to do Shizuo Heiwajima. Twice, she was happy, once she was left broken beyond repair. CHARACTER DEATH.
1. Meetings

**AN: Hey guys! I know, ANOTHER story! But this one is just quick little tribute for a crossover couple that's slowly been growing on me. Yup, Shizuo and Sakura! They're cute, okay? Depending on the length, this'll either be a full oneshot or threeparter. I might even do the inbetween or an AU version as well, if you guys like it enough.**

**As with all my stories, this was written on a whim in the middle of class and then typed up half-assedly whenever I had the time, ending up much longer than was originally planned. **

**OBSCURE REFERENCE THIS TIME. HAHA. FIND IT AND TELL ME IN A REVIEW. IF YOU DO, I WILL GO THROUGH AND FAVORITE ONE OF YOUR STORIES. IT IS AN ANIME THAT CAME OUT IN 2013 AND IS ON NETFLIX. THERE, THOSE ARE YOUR HINTS. IF YOU GET IT RIGHT, I THEN DEMAND TO WATCH IT IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY. IT IS GLORIOUS.**

**Also, **_**(hello fuckboy)**_** is Inner Sakura helping me narrate by being her awesomely sarcastic and bitchy self. THE STORY STARTS A YEAR AFTER THE END OF DURARARA. SHIZUO IS NOW 25 DURING THE FIRST PART, 26 IN THE SECOND, AND 27 IN THE THIRD. ETC FOR EVERYONE ELSE.**

**Standard Disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO OR DURARARA. I'M JUST BORROWING CHARACTERS.**

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Everything can change in an instant. A life can change its course with little more than a glance, a few words, or even the twitch of a finger on the trigger. Most people only ever seem to have one life changing even, but in her twenty-seven years, Sakura has had three. She could remember each moment as if it had happened yesterday, despite the years separating them. Twice for the better, where everything seemed to always be just right and she was soblissfully happy. However, the third moment was cataclysmic. It shattered her world, her entire sense of being. The Invincible Cherry Blossom of Ikebukuro was no more, only a shadow of her former self. Only a miracle could save Sakura from succumbing to her grief. And, as we all know, miracles are hard to come by. But they do happen.

_July 17, 12:11 pm_

It seemed like it was going to be a normal day to Sakura Haruno, the day it all started. She had been living in Ikebukuro for two months and had found a steady job as a seamstress at a tailor shop downtown. They had been pretty busy that morning, and she was glad it was finally her lunch break. Sakura massaged her stiff, aching hands as the pinkette maneuvered through the masses of people on the sidewalk. Being the lunch rush, the paths were packed and traffic was almost at a standstill. Sidestepping a woman pushing a baby carriage, Sakura caught a glimpse of herself in a shop window.

If you asked her what her best and worst features were, Sakura wouldn't even hesitate in her reply. Her emerald green eyes were definitely her best quality, and yes, while it was naturaly cherry blossom pink _**(Thus her parents genius reasoning for naming their only child Sakura, of all things)**_,at least her hair did as told and was subsequently not her worst feature. Due to severe teasing as a child, she sincerely thought her forehead was quite too large and required a reduction. Unfortunately for her, such a procedure does not exist, and even if it did, it was highly unlikely that she'd ever be able to afford it. Being the reasonable and intelligent person that she was, unless you made her angry, whereas you'd need to either be a good dodger or have decent medical insurance, Sakura simply resigned herself to her fate and decided that, despite her forehead _**(which no one ever really noticed, because seriously, who the hell bases their definition of beauty on the size of someone's forehead? There's many more reasonable body parts to judge on size. Like, say, the nose or eyes. I know what you're thinking you little perverts and stop it.)**_, she was actually very pretty. Well, usually. At the moment, Sakura was exhausted from work and it showed. Her green eyes were dull, her pale face was tight, and her normally _**(dare she think it and boost her self esteem) **__luscious_ long hair was pulled up in a pathetic looking bun. Being a seamstress was hard work, but she enjoyed working with her hands, and at twenty-five years old, certainly couldn't afford to go to college, so it wasn't so bad. At least it payed her bills and kept her fed. She was just happy she only had to pay for herself, unlike her neighbor who shared a one room apartment with two other guys and he was the only one with a job. He worked at some fast food place or something.

A sudden scream brought Sakura out of her thoughts just in time for her to see a... vending machine? Yes, it was most certainly a vending machine flying in a rather graceful ark over her head. She had just enough time to process it before it was out of her site and slamming into it's intended target, followed by an almost deafening roar of "IIIIZZAAAAAYYYYAAAAAAA!" The target was none other than a young man about her age in an eskimo coat. _**(Because even smart people like Izaya can be stupid enough to wear a jacket in the middle of summer.)**_ Sakura watched _**(from her meager protection under an awning)**_ as the young man slowly got back to his feet, a smirk forming on his face.

He did a cheeky wave and said, "Long time no see Shizu-chan!" The mysterious young man then proceeded to run off.

"IIIZZAAAYYYAAA! I THOUGHT I TOLD TO STAY OUT IKEBUKURO!" came the voice again, along with it's owner. Growling in anger, the tall man, who also looked to be about her age, threw the stop sign after his foe. But he obviously didn't aim it right, just in the general direction, because it instead headed straight for Sakura. "SHIT! LADY, LOOK OUT!" Her eyes widened in alarm before instincts took over and the pinkette slammed to ground, successfully avoiding decapitation without a trial. The blond man ran over to her and helped her. Sakura, who as mentioned earlier, has quite the temper, was furious. Never one to hide her emotions, she quickly showed her anger at the situation.

"THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU!? DIDN'T YOUR MOTHER TEACHER NOT TO THROW STOP SIGNS AT PEOPLE UNLESS THEY DESERVE IT!?" She shouted as he helped her up. He grunted as her fist connected with his head, his sunglasses falling to the ground.

He was quick to respond, "Didn't your mother ever teach you not to hit people!?"

"SAYS THE MAN WHO JUST THREW A FUCKING VENDING MACHINE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE STREET DURING THE LUNCH RUSH!" He blinked at her before giving a light chuckle. Looking up at his rather handsome face _**(seriously though, this boy is fine as hell.)**_, Sakura opened her mouth to ask what the hell was so funny when... their eyes met.

Everything around them seemed to slow to a crawl and it felt as if someone had just plugged her ears full of cotton. Whatever this was felt like an eternity, but was really only a few seconds. For those few seconds, they were the only people in the world. Then, all of a sudden, they were back. Back on that crowded street in the middle of Ikebukuro. Back to trying to navigating the lunch rush. Back to reality, as if it never happened. But it had, and she knew it. Sakura could tell, he knew it too. Because he smiled at her and she found herself smiling back, though she couldn't tell you why... What had they been talking about? He leaned down to pick up his glasses.

He put them on and stuck out his hand, "Name's Shizuo Heiwajima. Your's?"

Why couldn't she stop smiling? "Sakura Haruno. Nice to meet you." She shook his hand. Was it just her or did her hands fit perfectly into his? Shizuo smiled even wider. It wasn't just her. Whatever this was, she didn't want it to stop. It just felt so _right._

"Let me treat you to lunch as an apology for almost killing you," claimed Shizuo, "It's the least I could do."

As if she could say no. "Sure! There's this barbecue place two blocks over."

"Hope we have time. Wouldn't want you to be late. I'm off today, so I was out doing errands," he stated as they started walking. Glancing at her watch, Sakura smiled even wider. They had plenty of time. All the time in the world.

_July 17, 12: 15 pm_

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**AN: YES, IT'S LOVE AT FIRST SIGHT. I DON'T GIVE A SHIT, IT'S CUTE. Anyway, tell me what you think in a review! YOU HAVE TO IF YOU WANT MORE.**


	2. Vows

**Hey guys, sorry about the long wait! It was my senior year when I posted the first chapter, so I had to crack down on school. Then my depression kicked in and I was just a mess. When I started writing again earlier this summer, I had completely forgotten this story. I've been working on my transformers fanfiction, Rules of Nest. It's got a good following and I would love it if you could check it out! Ignore the first couple chapters though, they're shit. *shamelessly self promotes***

***insert standard disclaimer here***

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Everything can change in an instant. A life can change its course with little more than a glance, a few words, or even the twitch of a finger on the trigger. Most people only ever seem to have one life changing event, but in her twenty-seven years, Sakura has had three. She could remember each moment as if it happened yesterday, despite the years seperating them. Twice for the better, where everything seemed to always be just right and she was so blissfully happy. However, the third moment was cataclysmic. It shattered her world, her entire sense of being. The Invincible Cherry Blossom of Ikebukuro was no more, only a shadow of her former self. Only a miracle could save Sakura from succumbing to her grief. And, as we all know, miracles are hard to come by. But they do happen.

_July 17, 12:00 pm_

Sakura Haruno was shaking, she was so nervous. Would she trip? Would her freakish best friends get into an argument? Would her father Kizashi make horrible puns? Everyone thought they should have waited longer, that a year wasn't long enough to get to know a person. Normally, the pinkette would have agreed with them. She hadn't become best friends with Naruto, Sasuke, and Sai in a year. She hadn't begun to consider Kakashi her crazy uncle until well over a year and a half after meeting him, even if he and her father were good friends. But in this case, she knew they were wrong.

Sakura glanced at the clock and smiled. It was almost time. In less than twenty minutes, it would be exactly a year since she had met and fell in love with Shizuo Heiwajima. In less than twent minutes, the ceremony would begin, and they would be tying the knot, as they say. It had taken the two quite a while to decided on the style of the ceremony, but they eventually decided on a western wedding, so the pinkette could make her dress herself.

The bride-to-be looked at herself in the mirror and smiled. Her pure white dress was strapless, with a sweetheart neckline. She had painstakingly sewn a floral beading patterned into the bust, leading it down to the waist. The entire thing was made lovingly with chiffon and satin, which she had gotten from the tailor shop, along with her short beaded veil, which she now owned. The older lady who had owned the store had given it, and the small two room apartment above, after she had retired less than a month ago. Sakura had lasted the longest out of those she had employed there and was more business savvy than the rest as well. The dress would be displayed in the window of the shop, as a way to advertise.

A knock on the door to her dressing room pulled Sakura from her self-examination. "It's open." she responded and her mother, Mibuki, with a graying blonde hair, walked in. She was holding Sakura's bouquet, which was made with Lily of the Valley, Gardenia, Lilac, and just a little bit of Delphinium to represent the speed of which their relationship had formed. That had been Ino's idea, seeing as her family's flower shop was the one providing the flower arrangements.

Her eyes went glassy as she stared at her only daughter. "Oh Saki, you look beautiful..." She raised her hand and tucked a loose piece of hair behind Sakura's ear. She had decided to get it cut a few weeks before the wedding.(It looks like her hair in Naruto:The Last Movie)

"Thank you Kaa-chan." Sakura kissed her mother's cheek and took the bouquet. The alarm on her cell phone went off, marking the time as 12:10. She took a deep breath and smiled. "Well, time to go!" She met her father's arm at the door and they headed towards ceremony.

_July 17, 12:15 pm_

"Heiwajima Shizuo-san, do you take Haruno Sakura as your lawfully wedded wife, to have and to hold, for all of eternity?" said the priest.

Shizuo paused for a single moment, his brown eyes gazing into Sakura's emerald ones. Once again, the world seemed to pause around them. He opened his mouth and two simple words fell out. Words that would change their world forever. "I do." The world remained still as the priest asked the same of Sakura, and she said those same two words without even waiting for him to finish, a smile bright enough to light the entirety of Ikebukuro for a year on her face.

"Then I now pronounce you husband and wife. Heiwajima-san, you may now kiss the bride. Congratulations." Shizuo did not wait a second before picking up the now and kissing her hard. She laughed and kissed him back, both smiling into the kiss as the cheers of their guests washed over them.

One voice in particular stood out amongst the crowd. "CONGRATS SHIZU-CHAN, SAKURA-CHAN!" shouted a familiar, snide voice called out from the back. Shizuo growled and put Sakura down. She sighed and crossed her arms, both turning to the back, glaring.

In unison, the newly-weds shouted. "IIIZAAAYAAAA!" The black hairded informant laughed and ran out of the ceremony hall, the two chasing him. He ran off laughing as he threw a neatly wrapped box at them, before going out the closest window.

Unlike her husband, Sakura stopped to pick present, for that's what it obviously was, and opened it. It was a simple gift card to a furniture place, so they could buy new things for the apartment and sell off their old stuff. At the bottom, there was also a simple, wooden picture frame that held a picture of Sakura and Shizuo laughing while she was on a swing set. Izaya had obviously taken it, but it was very well done. She still had her long hair, which was loose, flowing in the wind as she swung lightly enough to get a breeze. Sakura had worn a mint green sundress that day, along with a straw hat with a green ribbon. Shizuo had even been out out his bartender's uniform. He had decided to wear a pair of jeans and a simple black t-shirt. Of course, the blond was still smoking a cigarette, but he smoked a little less now.

Sakura smiled and held the picture to her chest. It was a wonderful gift and she's had have to thank Izaya in person later. They went out to lunch sometimes, she'd do it then. Unlike her husband, she liked Izaya for the most part, except when he was being an ass. But he sometimes reccomended her store to some of his clients, so she could at least tolerate him. His sisters liked her clothes.

"Bastard." muttered Shizuo as he returned from chasing Izaya off. Sakura showed him Izaya's present and he huffed. But the pinkette knew him too well. He appreciated the gift, even if he didn't want to. Grabbing his hand, Sakura began to drag him back into the ceremony room, where the party had already began.

_July 17, 12:21 pm_

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**So did you guys like it? Please tell me in a review! I'll try not to take so long next time!**


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